


Expectations

by Red_Writing_Hood



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: It starts out a little bit slow, John is sick, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-18
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 22:13:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Writing_Hood/pseuds/Red_Writing_Hood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This certainly is not what you expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Get Well Soon

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I only wrote this because I'm a bit under the weather myself. This is my first fic and I have a headache so I'm sorry if this is kind of shitty. I tried to make everyone as in-character as possible but it's hard to write so many characters at the same time! 
> 
> Ok this first chapter is a little bit slow, but don't worry, there will be more John/Dave as the fic moves on.

    Your expectations of the day included sitting in bed, marathoning feel-good movies and having a ridiculous amount of soup forced into your palette by your overzealous father.

    Your expectations did not include choking on your cough drop as your bedroom door opened to reveal a grinning girl, accompanied by a gaggle of your friends. Your head is too fuzzy to identify all of them on the spot, and Jade’s voice distracts you from this as well.

    “Get well soon!” she announces enthusiastically, the sounds bouncing around in your head painfully.

Yet another bowl of soup rests atop a the tray she’s carrying, the liquid threatening to slosh over the edges. She sets it down on your lap, sitting on your bed. A pile of “get-well-soon” cards is shoved in the corner of the tray, and you smile a little bit.

    The rest of your friends file through the door, Rose sitting down beside Jade, causing the bed to sink beneath her weight. It’s a little bit uncomfortable, the way it tightens the sheets around you, but you don’t mind much.

    “Yes, we have all come to give you our regards,” she says with a smile. “We do hope you are feeling better soon, John.”

She pinches your cheek, and you swat her away. There’s something about her words that doesn’t seem very genuine, but you know that she really does care.

    Karkat follows in after her, looking more annoyed than anything. A surgical mask is strapped over his mouth, and it looks slightly ridiculous. You can’t help but chuckle a little bit, a few weak coughs escaping from you.

    “I told these weak-minded imbeciles that you’d get better without the fucking stress of having these insufferable assholes around, giving what seems like encouragement, but what is actually inviting the sickness to wrap them in it’s clammy, mucusy grasp. I, on the other hand, took a few precautions.”

“Stop being so smug, Karkat! We all know you care about John as much as we do!”

He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

    “He can descend into fucking pneumonia for all I care; I just came here to make sure Vriska didn’t start macking on his sick--”

“Oh my god, John, I heard you were skipping school, but I should have known you were just sick! Hahahahahahaha, actually, I bet you’re just being a drama queen!”

    “Speak of the devil,” Karkat mutters, giving her death glare.

Vriska just looks at him with a smirk, placing her hands on his hips before returning her gaze to you.

    “Whatever! I haven’t been sick since I was three years old, but I guess not everyone can have my amaaaaaaaazing immune system.”

“As much as I’m sure you’re making our poor friend feel better, I think it would be best if you took your leave.”

    “No, it’s okay. Vriska’s just playing around, right?” you smile at her, knowing that even though Vriska’s words are harsh, she’s just tossing banter around to lighten the mood.

(You think? You’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, you guess.)

    “See? John gets me,” she replies, sitting down at the head of your bed.

Jade gives her an inquisitive glare, but everyone’s attention is diverted by a new character striding through the door, her red skirt swishing slightly. Her eyes rest on John, the girls gathered around him.

    “Is this what they call ‘Swimming in Bitches’?”

Her lips are twisted into a quizzical frown, her dark eyebrows furrowed.

    “Haha, no! We’re just here to give John our best wishes, duh,” Jade confirms.

Kanaya gives her a soft smile.

    “That was a joke, Jade,” she clarifies, followed by a stray chuckle from Rose.

“My congratulations on such a well-executed example of humor,” she says as Kanaya plops down at the foot of your bed.

You don’t really have much to say, partly because your throat is sore, partly because your brain is fuzzy from fever, and mostly because you’re so dumbfounded by the current situation.

    “You know, as much as it is probably making John feel 100-fucking-percent better by his sudden status of “Swimming in Bitches,” and is probably doing him MUCH more good than rest could possibly do, I support the motion that we give him some actual fucking space. You know, so he can do that breathing thing that is only a little bit mandatory for a healthy existence,” Karkat pipes up, to your surprise.

“No, that’s fine--,” you begin, voice raspy from sickness and disuse.

    “Actually, I believe our good friend Karkat has a good point,” Rose says, rising up from your bedside.

“Pfft, whatever. It’s not like he’s a baby or something,” Vriska chimes, although she gets up as well.

    “You guys are soo dumb, I’m sure John doesn’t mind. But it doesn’t matter, because I brought some movies that I’m going to get anyways!” Jade announces giddily, rising up promptly before exiting the room.

The bed feels a little bit empty now, but it’s actually a bit nice to have some room now. There’s an awkward silence since Jade left, and in your effort to start the conversation up again, you mention Halloween.

    “So what are you dressing up as for Halloween? I have a few ideas, but I do not think I have anything figured out for sure…”

“I am laughing so hard right now. Halloween? That’s for babies, John. Babies who promptly take shits in their cloth waste-receptacles.”

   “Oh, come on! Halloween is fun, it doesn't matter how old you are,” you argue.

“I concur with that statement. In fact, both Kanaya and Jade have introduced some very creative costume ideas that I would be very interested in coordinating,” Rose backs up your statement.

    “Yes, Vriska mentioned an idea concerning pirates, and I may or may not have taken that idea and ran with it, so to speak.”

You can practically feel Vriska’s eyes roll.

   “Yes, your sassy pirate idea is soooooooo original, and it totally has never been done before!”

“I do not believe I ever said it was original-”

    “Anyways, nothing is ever as good as the real deal. Did you know that my ancestors were actually pirates of the high seas? So it’s not actually not even a costume at all for me, really.”

“Let me remind you who is so kindly sewing your period costume, Vriska,” Kanaya reminds her, a snide smile plastered across her face.

You decide this is where you want to cut in.

    “So, Rose, what was the idea that Jade gave you?”

“Well, since Jade is dressing up as witch, she recommended that we coordinate. In this case, I would dress up as a black cat, and Kanaya has designed quite a few cat outfits that I believe, would be nothing short of classy.”

   “Wow, that’s really cool! Could I see some of your designs?” you turn to Kanaya with a grin.

“That sounds like a good idea, and I would be more than happy to share them with you, but I do not have my design sketches today, so I offer you my sincerest apologies.”

    “Geez, that’s okay,” you reply.

“So John, what are some of your costume ideas?” Rose turns to you, and you open your mouth to answer, but before the words can escape your mouth, a blonde and red is figure is tumbling through your now-open window.

It’s the second time you choked on your cough drop that day.

    “Whoa whoa, hold the fuck up. I’ve been standing outside your window with a fucking beatbox, rapping ‘Egbert ‘o Egbert, let down thy jet black hair. How could such a sickness befall such a maiden fair?’. Pulling out all the cliche stops. Then I finally come here to find you discussing your ideas for dress-up. Damn John, so disappoint.”

You roll your eyes at Dave’s words, and you have another get-well card shoved in your face before you can come back with a witty retort.

    “Fashionably late as always I see,” Rose comments as you close it, setting it down in the pile.

“Pretty much. So did you guys hog up all of John’s cooties or do I get some for myself?”

    “Baaaack!” Jade announces, bursting through your door for the second time that day.

It’s not what you expected, but you’re really glad your day turned out like this.


	2. Cooties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, stuff is actually starting to happen. I am not very good at this I think, but I'll just keep writing. 
> 
> too cool 4 ur cooties john

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV changes are usually marked by "~~~"

    Everyone has started to file out, all the movies have been exhausted at this point, and you’ve spent more time than necessary discussing your plans for Halloween. You’re pretty sure Kanaya is being a sassy pirate, and she’s taken the liberty of describing a number of her outfits in full detail. Jade is being a witch for the fourth year in a row. You wonder why she never grows tired of being the same thing, but she just shrugs and saw it feels right. Vriska’s a pirate almost every year, but you remember her being a fairy or something one year. Kanaya doesn’t usually trick-or-treat, and reportedly she doesn’t plan on trick-or-treating this year either, but she is interested in the school’s costume contest. Karkat is still stubborn when it comes to abstaining from all the Halloween festivities, but you try to recommend a few costume ideas to him, but Dave somewhat ruins your efforts by suggesting things like “The Red Lobster mascot thing,” and “Mr. Krabs.” Dave even takes a few moments in half-hearted attempt to coordinate a costume with you, too.

 (“Yo, John. Just had a stroke of genius, dude hear me out.”

     “Sure thing, Dave. What is it?”

“The Princess Bride. Me; Princess Buttercup. You; Westley”

     “Haha, no way!”

 “How ‘bout the other way around? I’ll be Westley and you can be Princess Buttercup. Actually that makes a lot more sense, that should have been my first suggestion.”

     “Pfft, they are both really stupid ideas. I was just going to be a zombie or something.”

 “Your loss, dude.”)

      You’re leafing through your get-well soon cards now, boredom washing over you since everyone else has taken their leave. You’re touched by how much your friends care about you, and you’re not sure what you would do without them. It makes you chuckle a little bit, just out of happiness. The chuckles slowly descend into yet another coughing fit, your throat burning at this point. You’ve laughed too much for your own good on this particular day.

  “Whoa, John, don’t hurt yourself,” someone in the corner of the room says, causing you to jump a little bit.

     You glance in the direction of the voice, identifying the owner as none other than Dave Strider. You could have sworn he left with everyone else, but there was no denying his presence.

     “Wow, don’t scare me like that!” you chastise him.

“Can’t help it when it’s so easy,” he replies with a shrug.

    “Also, do not tell ME about hurting myself! You are the dumbass who thought it was a good idea to climb in through the window, haha.”

“I’m a professional.”

     “Well being a professional or whatever doesn’t protect you from my cooties, too.”

 “What, you want me to wear that dumb mask like Karkat? Not a chance in hell.”

     “Heh, no way. I think it was pretty dumb that Karkat decided to wear that, actually.”

 “You and me both, sister,” he mumbles, looking through your movies.

     A comfortable silence descends upon both of you, and for whatever reason Dave decides to linger, making a few comments on your movies, but you’re too occupied with being feverish and exhausted to pay him a very significant amount of attention. The air around the room is too cold and too hot at the same time, and you’re sweating under the covers. You’re currently sitting with one leg out from underneath the covers, the other nestled snugly underneath them. It’s offering you temporary comfort, but you still feel clammy and generally...sick.

     You’re steadily becoming colder, eventually allowing your leg to accompany the other underneath the covers, yawning as you pull the covers up to your chin. You’re shivering a bit, and you don’t know why. You’re still sweaty, but you’re freezing.

     You don’t protest when Dave climbs into bed next to you. You’re unsure of what he’s doing, but he remains silent as he presses an earbud against your ear. It feels a bit loose and uncomfortable, but you’re too lazy and tired to adjust it. He snuggles up next to you, warmth shooting up your side from the sudden contact.

     You force yourself to rise up a little bit, glancing at Dave to examine what he’s doing. He seems to be flipping through the songs on his iPod, finally selecting one that’s unfamiliar to you, but your ears are soon greeted by the dull thrum of an ambient song. You’re not usually a fan of this kind of music, but it’s calming in your current state. You wonder briefly if Dave mixed this himself as you drift into sleep.

 ~~~

 

    You don’t really know what came over you.

     You’re glancing at John through your shades, his breathing is raspy and labored with sickness but you’re not too worried about catching it, despite your better judgement. For some reason, you didn’t really find yourself wanting to leave even after everyone else had finally decided to give John some space. It briefly occurred to you that you might be imposing slightly, but it passed just as quickly. Even so, you decide to cut him break, and mindlessly sift through his movies. You dick around on his laptop for a couple minutes, and he doesn’t protest, but his eyes seem to be glazed over, most likely from fever. You reckon he’s not really paying you any attention so you dick around for a couple more minutes.

     His laptop begins to bore you after a while, and instead you decide to scroll through some of your old works. You dabbled a bit in ambience for a bit, but it’s not really your style. You never really created anything good, at least not to your standards. You glance fleetingly at John, and he looks a little bit uncomfortable. He’s visibly shaking, the cover pulled up to his chin.

     For whatever reason, you decide to join him on the bed, pulling him close to you. His shivering slows down a little, but his teeth are still chattering softly, his breathing still heavy with sick, and his body warm with fever.

_Damn John, you’re like a human heater_ , you think to yourself, but you say nothing aloud.

     Now you’re sitting next to his sleeping form, one of your headphones pressing into his ear, the other one resting in yours, a couple of your ambient mixes drumming softly. They are somewhat calming, but you can’t help but note the flaws. You’re sure you could create better now, if you actually found the motivation.

     After a while, you fall asleep too.

 ~~~

     When you wake up, you’re suddenly aware of another body pressed against your own. In your stupor, you snuggle against it, hooking one leg over the covers, over the body. It takes you a moment to actually comprehend what you’re doing, pulling away from him as soon as you realize this, causing your muscles to scream in protest.

     How did you fall asleep next to Dave?

     You search your mind, still fuzzy from sleep and fever, not fully grasping the situation as you recall ambient music and Dave climbing into bed with you. You’re not fully sure why he did that, but you guess it was probably something like pity? That didn’t really sound like Dave, though. He would have probably just teased you for shivering. Probably make a metaphor about igloos or something. Yep, you pretty much have Dave completely figured out.

     He stirs a little bit and you tense up, wondering what his reaction will be. It seems a little bit ridiculous that he would flip out when he’s the one who initiated the bro-cuddle session in the first place, but the thought still nags at you for a little bit. 

    He still hasn’t woken up, and after a moment of internal debate you decide to remove his shades. He turns over, and you suck in your breath, your whole body on edge. Too quickly, you plop your head back down on the pillow, trying to slow your breath in order to feign slip. You’re too close to his back to be comfortable, but you’re too nervous to move anymore, in fear of waking him up.

 Despite your precautions, he does wake up. He props himself onto his elbows, yawning a bit, rubbing his eyes and blinking for a bit. Before he glance down to you, you squeeze your eyes shut.

     You risk cracking your eyes open the slightest bit, only to find his own eyes looking down at you.

     “John, I know you’re awake.”

  “Shhhh, no I'm not. I am asleep.”

     "Yeah, dude. Pretty sure sleeptalking isn’t that lucid but I’ll take your word for it. You sure are asleep.”

  “Yup. Glad we have come to this conclusion, Dave.”

      “So...what exactly are you doing?”

  “I could ask you the same thing! You just climbed into my bed, dude. You are so going to get sick now.”

       “Aw, you do care. Anyways, you were shivering and shit. It was like you were trying way too hard to be cooler than me, but what else is new.”

   "Ha ha, Dave. I am laughing my ass off.”

       “Yeah, my material is usually better when I’m not rudely awakened by a sick boy.”

   “Sorry about that I guess.”

       “I can tell. Yeah, I just felt a bit bad for you all shivering and cold. Snuggled up to your sorry ass.”

   “Heheh, appreciate it, man.”

     You’re a bit relieved that’s he’s not freaking out, but you realize by now that the thought actually had no real credibility in the first place. Feverishly, you wrap your arms around him and pull him a bit closer, starting to drift off again.

   “Yo, you’re gonna give me the infamous cooties.”

     "Dude, you should have worried about that a long time ago.”

  “Point taken.”

     He removes your hands from his sides, turning to face you for a bit. Wow, his face his really close. His breath is cold compared to your own body, radiating heat. You can’t see his eyes really well, especially without your glasses, but they are kind of pretty. They’re unique, that’s for sure. You find yourself wondering what he thinks about your eyes as they begin to close.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo i'm sorry about any grammar and spelling  
> that stuff is for nerds anyways  
> as you can tell i'm not a nerd

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes! Also, this is kind of short but it's really just getting started and I wanted to post this so I had some extra motivation to continue.


End file.
